SUNY Moves Ahead
June 29, 2011
Legislation will help power new economic growth in WNY
Buffalo News Editorial
Now that the long legislative session has ended, praise is due to those who helped the University at Buffalo pass legislation critical to the future of the institution and community. We will all benefit.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo gets kudos for his NYSUNY 2020 bill as a major accomplishment for academic and economic development in Western New York. UB can now move ahead on its plans to build a new $375 million medical school downtown within the next five years, thanks to the governor and lawmakers, particularly the Western New York delegation and, notably, freshman Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, who hit the ground running.
The $35 million in seed money will allow the university to relocate the medical school from the South Campus on Main Street to its logical new home at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. And, over the next five to seven years, it means 3,000 new jobs. In addition, this bill provides revenue to hire faculty and quite possibly move up the ranks of the Association of American Universities. This is a big step forward for UB and community.
This project should be seen as a top public-private collaboration, because the university would pay for the majority of the new medical school through a variety of avenues, which include annual construction funds and philanthropy.
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